


Family Dinner

by Lynnebrnd



Category: Yellowstone (TV 2018)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26544388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynnebrnd/pseuds/Lynnebrnd
Summary: John is tired of the wrecking ball that is his daughter ruining every family meal she attends and comes to a conclusion he hopes will bring peace to meal times on the Ranch.
Relationships: Beth Dutton/Rip Wheeler
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a long morning and it was only 6:45 a.m.

As John walked from the Lodge to the barn area, he was thinking about his headstrong daughter and her damn inability to make it through one single meal without taking a wrecking ball through the goddamn thing.

He was serious when he told Kacey that he didn't think she had made it through a meal since she was eleven. At this point, it was a known fact and one he should have long ago accepted, but it still bothered him.

And, if he was being completely honest with himself, it seemed to bother him more now that she wasn't even dining with them all that often. More times than not these days, her meals were spent with her fiancée – that word still made him shake his head. You would think when she was home for a meal, she would be able to bite her tongue and make it through a meal, but it almost seemed worse now. Whenever Rip was otherwise occupied and she joined the family for a meal, she was more uneasy and on-edge than ever.

As he walked through the barn to the corral area, he saw most of the outfit atop horses milling about awaiting their turn at the morning roping exercise.

As he sidled up to a piece of the corral, he watched Teeter and Kolby take their turn. A small smirk upturned the corner of his mouth. As much as he wasn't comfortable with it, he had to mentally acknowledge Rip had found one hell of a hand in that girl.

As he scanned the area, his gaze settled on Rip. The smirk on his face turned into a small, barely perceptible smile as he watched Rip.

When he first met Rip, he had hoped that the bloody, starving fourteen-year-old boy would work out as a hand on the ranch. Even he had to admit that he had gotten more than he could have thought possible when he brought the lost, angry teen to the ranch. Watching him grow and mature over the years had been a wonderful thing for both of them. Especially during the heartache of having Kayce walk away from him for life on the Reservation with Monica and Tate, and the ups and downs of raising Jamie and Beth as a single father. Admittedly, his ego found it gratifying to have one child their age that wanted to please him, as opposed to constantly fighting every word that came out of his mouth.

As he continued to watch Rip interact with the wranglers, he continued to let his mind wander and reminisce. The physical changes were evident to all who had been around the ranch for any amount of time, but the changes in his being were less evident to those who didn't know him well. There were only a couple of people who knew him well enough to notice those changes.

He still projected the hard-ass, don't mess with me or the ranch attitude, but there was a certain calmness in him that had not been there before.

As John watched Ryan and the drifter take their turn, he thought more about this change, and admitted with a rueful inward smile that it had only come about since the summer. Yes, there was a shift at the beginning of the summer when John rewarded him with the house, but the calmness came afterward.

As he thought about the cause of this peace, if you will, his mind wandered back to his daughter.

John startled when Rip's horse, who had been across the corral, suddenly whinnied less than six inches from his face. So lost in his reverie, he had not seen Rip take notice of him nor make his way to him.

As Rip said good morning, John ignored the sidelong curious look Rip gave him about where he had been in his thoughts. After Rip had answered a couple of questions John had about the day, he unconsciously voiced a question that had been in the back of his mind for a while now, "Rip, what are your meals like with Beth?" John was as surprised the question was asked as Rip was confused about the question.

Rip sat on top of his horse with a look that he assumed was one of utter stupidity. He had no idea what Mr. Dutton was driving at here nor what sort of information he wanted.

He definitely knows he doesn't want the details about the meals where the food gets pushed aside and ignored for more pleasurable ways of satisfying hunger. When Rip looks back to Mr. Dutton, he realizes his inner thoughts must be showing on his face, if the scowl on Mr. Dutton's face is any indication.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I'm not sure what you mean? Do you want to know what we eat, or…"

John cuts him off mid-sentence with a gruff, "I could care less what you fucking eat." He stands there for a minute, staring at Rip, with an internal battle as to whether he wants to continue this conversation or abandon this train of thought as hopeless. He thinks back to his demand of Rip "If you are joining the family, can you at least be the one person in it who fucking talks to me?"

He decides then to take the plunge. If he wants someone to talk to him, he may as well try talking back.

"I want to know what your meals are like. Do you talk? Does Beth eat and stay for the entire meal or does she stomp off mid bite, leaving you trying to figure out what the hell just happened?"

Rip was still confused and he was also uncomfortable as hell. He felt there was a piece of this puzzle he was missing, and that made him feel as if he was walking through a minefield…blindfolded.

Ironically, his thoughts drifted to the same request John had made about talking to him and he decided to try and provide Mr. Dutton the answers he was seeking.

"Well, sir, I would think they are just typical meals. I cook most of the time, but Beth does when she's around or more likely when she's tired of steak and potatoes, and wants to introduce something "healthy" into the diet. We eat, we talk, we just enjoy each other's company. At least, I hope we are enjoying each other's company?"

That last sentence opened up possibilities in Rip's mind that maybe he was the only one enjoying their time together. Was Beth already getting tired of the life he thought they were building? Was she having doubts about her "there is only us" line? Was it all just something she thought she wanted when they were the only ones on the ranch? With everyone's return…

For never showing any emotion, John watched as 50 emotions ran across Rip's face in less than two seconds. He had a guess where his thoughts were heading and needed to put an end to this train of thought before Rip said something stupid to Beth that would cause giant wrecking balls at all meals for the rest of her life.

"Rip. Stop. Whatever you are thinking, stop now. My question had nothing to do with your meals with Beth so put that out of your mind now and go back to work."

Rip opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and jerked the reigns on his horse to return to the wranglers. It had been a long time since Mr. Dutton had shut him down like that with no explanation and just dismissed him. Nothing about the end of their interaction made him less wary about his future with Beth.

As John watched Rip rejoin the wranglers, he dropped his head to the ground. Now he had another mess to sort through before that mess became a bigger mess. When he looked back up and scanned the hands, his gaze settled back on Rip and he noticed a subtle change than before they spoke. There was more tension coming off the man. Whereas, before their conversation, he saw a peace around Rip, he now saw walls back up surrounding the young man. Ironically, something clicked then and he decided to try something.

He waited around for another hour for the guys to finish and yelled at Rip to come back over as he started to leave the corral.

When Rip sidled back up to him, he simply said, "Family dinner tonight at 6 p.m. at the Lodge. Make sure you and Beth are there and on time."

With that final direction, he turned on his heel and made his way back to the Lodge.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

And with that parting directive, he was gone. As Rip watched Mr. Dutton walk back toward the Lodge, he couldn't help but still feel as if he was missing something. There had to be some piece of this puzzle he doesn't know about. That not knowing was not going to set well for the day. As Rip continued to sit on his horse, he ran through his mind all that he needed to get done today, evidently before 6 p.m. How the hell was he supposed to get all his work done, go home, shower and still make it to a damn family dinner by 6 p.m. He started to grab his phone from his pocket to call Beth, but once he had it in his hand, he just sat there. What the hell was he going to tell her? Your dad swung by this morning and ordered us to dinner tonight? That conversation was going to go over like a lead fucking balloon.

As he continued to sit there and stare at his phone, Lloyd came up beside him, and with only a look asked "What the hell is wrong with you today?" Rip ignored his look, and simply said "let's go." As they made their way toward the rest of the team, Rip returned his phone to his pocket. He told himself the reason he wasn't calling Beth at this time was that he wanted to make sure he was able to complete the day's work in time to go to dinner and that it had nothing to do with the fact that the conversation with Mr. Dutton had made him mentally question whether all was well with him and Beth. His last thought as he made his way to the guys and the herd was that he was a fucking liar.

As they started to push the herd to the pasture he and Mr. Dutton agreed upon this morning, he mentally rearranged the day. With any luck, they would have the herd to Pasture 12 by noon. As opposed to riding the fence himself, he would send Ryan and Kolby to do that. He would then come back with the rest of the guys and get Jake and Lloyd working the young colts while he finished up a couple of odds and ends in the barn. He would need to remember to call Beth when as soon as he got back to the ranch. He expected some looks today when he ducked out early, but with any luck, he would be on his way home shortly after 4:00. That would give him plenty of time to make it home, shower and determine what sort of mood his wife-to-be was in prior to heading to dinner.

The thought of Beth as his wife brought a small smile to his face. He still wasn't sure how they had managed to get to this point, but he was going to continue to thank God everyday they were here. He knew it hadn't been easy, but after so many years of loving her from afar, it did feel as if it all just magically worked out overnight. And that left him terrified on a daily basis that it could fall apart just as easily.

As he continued to work the right side of the herd, he thought about his conversation with Mr. Dutton and wondered why the sudden invitation to dinner. He could count on one hand the number of times he had eaten within the Dutton's family home. He couldn't help but wonder if Beth had voiced some sort of passing discontent to her father about him that made Mr. Dutton feel as if getting him amongst the family may help their relationship. Was he simply being paranoid or was his worst nightmare starting to unfold?

If she had changed her mind or were unhappy, would she tell him? She had said they weren't allowed to have secrets any longer. What did that mean exactly? They had to share every second of every day with one another? Inwardly, he let out a string of cuss words as that was impossible. And would she say a doubt qualified as a secret? She wasn't the attorney in the Dutton family, but she was more hard headed and better at arguing than any attorney he had ever met in his life. If there was a loophole to be found, she would find it and utilize it to her advantage. So, did it just mean he couldn't have secrets?

The only thing he knew for certain at this point in time was that it was going to be a long fucking day.

Moving the herd proved to be uneventful and he and the majority of the team made it back to the ranch shortly after noon as he had thought. As he was dismounting from his horse, he noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw jumping from his perch and running to him. The site of the anxious gleam in his eye made him simultaneously smile and groan.

"Rip!"

"Hey Tate, whatcha doing here?" Rip already knew what he was doing here and what he wanted, but he decided to buy a little time to try and figure out how to put him off for a day. Rip had told him a couple of days ago that his afternoon should be fairly light today and they should be able to work Lucky some this afternoon.

Looking down at the boy's huge grin, he knew he wouldn't be able to put him off today. Somehow, he was finding himself spending more time with Tate when all his other adults were occupied, and he found he enjoyed the experience far more than he ever would have thought possible. Selfishly, he figured working with Tate and Lucky would keep him from wasting time thinking on other shit.

He smiled and nodded and Tate took off toward the barn. Lucky still wasn't to the point where Tate could saddle him by himself, but it was fun letting him help and answer the questions that popped into his head. As he watched him run in that direction, he called after him to let him know he had to make a phone call and would be right behind him. He started to remind him not to open Lucky's stall until he got there but closed his mouth before the words could be uttered. He reminded himself he had told him the same thing the last four times Tate had been down here and felt as if reminding him again was a little too control freakish or parentish. He fished his phone out of pocket and hit Beth's number. When she answered, he could tell she was in town by the background noise. He was glad to hear she was out and about, but still hated the thought of her being without him. The events of the past few months had put him on edge. Beth didn't want to seem as if she was fazed by all that had happened, but the Beck's attack and the bomb in her office continued to remind Rip how easily he could have lost her. He knew she couldn't sit at the ranch all day doing nothing, but he found himself anxious whenever she was out by herself.

He asked her what she was up to, but she seemed distracted or as if she really didn't want to answer the question. Rip bit his lower lip for a second trying to decide what he was going to do if she refused to answer the question. When she finally answered, he closed his eyes for a moment and kicked himself for being stupid today. Her tone took on that of the playful girl he loved the most. She had gotten a wild hair to go into Dillon to a bridal boutique in the square. She didn't share any additional details, but her voice told him all he needed to know. They were fine and were going to find a way to make this life together work. He looked down at the ground with a small smile, feeling foolish for his trains of thought throughout the morning.

"Hey, your dad came by this morning to talk about a couple of things. As he was leaving, he told me that we are supposed to come to dinner tonight at 6:00. You know anything about this?"

"Hmmm…." Was her only response.

On the other end, Rip was left standing there with a phone to his ear and eyebrows raised, trying to figure out what the hell that meant and what exactly he was missing.

"No, I didn't know we were supposed to make an appearance at dinner tonight. Do you want to go or do you want to stay home? I had thought about picking up some stuff while I was in town and cooking for you tonight."

The tone Beth used during that last sentence was not lost on Rip. That tone definitely held the promise of something more whatever health focused meal she planned to cook. Rip stood there. He adjusted his hat as if that was going to somehow help him know how to respond to Beth's question, suggestive tone and everything else about this god forsaken day.

"Beth, I didn't take your dad's request to come to dinner as an option. His exact words were be there and don't be late. Can you and I stay home and you can cook for me tomorrow night?"

Rip knew this was a test. Beth had been testing him since they were kids. Simple statements and requests that really meant something else. But, he also felt this was an idiotic test. At some point, he figured he would have to choose sides – Mr. Dutton or Beth. He had no idea what sort of situation would force his hand like that, but he knew it was inevitable. Beth and her father were both too damn stubborn and hardheaded for him not to get caught in the middle at some point. But, he also didn't think that a goddamn dinner was something where a line in the sand had to be drawn.

Beth's response was a matter-of-fact "fine." Followed quickly by informing that she was no longer in the mood to stop by the store on her way home so they could just wait and see what tomorrow brought. Once again, he knew they were not talking about dinner.

With that, she hung up and Rip was left to mentally cuss himself for getting out of bed today.

He turned and started toward the barn to Lucky and Tate. Hopefully, he could find his patience and the rest of the afternoon would be as enjoyable as he thought it was going to be when he saw Tate's smiling face waiting for him. He held out no such hope for this fucking dinner tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get the next chapter posted - real life has not been my friend as of late!!

CHAPTER 3  
Beth stood in the middle of the bridal boutique not moving for a moment after hanging up the phone with Rip. Internally, she groaned. Starting shit with Rip was the last thing she had wanted to do. Her initial surprise and excitement at seeing his name light up her phone had evaporated listening to him talk about his conversation with her dad. She couldn’t lash out at the person she wanted to at that moment so she had picked a fight with the last person with whom she wanted to fight.

As she looked up into the mirror, she saw herself staring back at her in a wedding gown. She hadn’t come to town intending to try on wedding dresses. She had come to town to get away from the ranch and her father, that damn dining room table and everything else. She had wandered around Dillon for a while before stumbling upon the boutique where she now found herself. She had initially entered the shop tentatively, not knowing why her feet felt compelled to enter or what she was looking for. 

She had been surprised to find the store a lot bigger than she had originally thought. As she walked through the place, she literally rolled her eyes at the amount of gowns and veils and everything else girly and weddingy. Beth was more than aware of her physique and loved her power suits and the drop dead gorgeous dresses she had worn in her professional life. But, she couldn’t help thinking you have to be fucking kidding me at the amount of over-the-top shit she was seeing in one place at one time. That was, until she was stopped short by the dress she now had on her body. 

She hadn’t given much thought to her wedding over the years as she really hadn’t known if she would ever take a walk down “that” aisle. But when her eyes saw this dress, it was as if she knew that this was the dress she would be wearing when she met Rip in front of those mountains with her family and his friends as witnesses. Now that she was standing there looking at herself in the mirror with the dress on her body, she knew she had been correct in her initial assessment. 

The only question she had now was why the hell she had picked a fight with Rip when she was literally about to burst with excitement at the thought of seeing his face the first time he caught a glimpse of her in this dress. Unfortunately, she knew the answer to that question. She just didn’t know what she was going to do about it. 

After the measurements were complete and she had placed the order for her dress, she now found herself walking about the Dillon square aimlessly. She knew she was only delaying the inevitable. It was after 3:00 and it was time to head home. As she made her way to the car, she decided that she would head to the Lodge as opposed to her home. She ruefully smiled at herself. It hadn’t taken her long to stop thinking of the Lodge as home – her home was simply with Rip. Wherever they were together was home. What a fucking softie she had become. “Ridiculous” was the thought she had as she slid in the driver’s seat of her car, but the smile still graced her face. 

As she drove the winding Montana roads back to the Yellowstone, she wrestled internally. She knew Rip would be caught off guard when he got home and she wasn’t there and would be even more off balance when he learned that she wasn’t going to come home before dinner and that he would have to make his way to the house by himself. Part of her felt bad for that, but an even bigger part of her was hoping she would be able to avoid seeing him one-one-one prior to dinner. 

Rip wasn’t a stupid or mentally slow man. His ability to read people and situations were actually impressive. She could hear it in his voice that he had all sorts of questions about what the hell prompted this little family get together. Beth just couldn’t think how to explain it so he would understand. So, she would avoid it. That’s what she had always done in situations with Rip where she couldn’t or wouldn’t explain. She ran. She hid. 

She pulled up to the Lodge just before 4:30. Once she put her car in park, she looked down at her phone and bit the tip of her thumb as she thought about the message to send to Rip. Finally, she simply typed, “Just got back to the Lodge. Have a couple of things to do here. Won’t be home before dinner so will see you when you get here.” 

She sat there for a couple of seconds before hitting send, then she squared her shoulders and opened the car door. She couldn’t run from him forever, but she had bought herself a little more time. As she got out of the car, she strode with purpose to the front door and made a beeline for her father’s office once inside.

Her steps slowed slightly once inside the house, but she strode into his office, looking like the confident, in charge woman her mother had ordered her to be. Before her father could open his mouth, she demanded to know what the hell he was trying to pull tonight. She listened as her father sarcastically replied, “Well, hello honey, it’s nice to see you too.”

Beth rolled her eyes as she walked to the window and turned her back to her father. And then she waited. It didn’t take long for her father to say, “I see your fiancé has told you about our plans for dinner this evening.” Sensing that he wasn’t going to say anything else until she turned around, Beth looked back at him and waited.

“Beth, it’s time.” That’s it. That’s all he said. And with those three words, he walked out of the room. She continued to stand there wondering how the hell that’s all he had to say. With a grunt, she pushed herself off the wall from where she was leaning and angry strode out of the room toward the stairs.

Once upstairs and in the privacy of her old room, she stopped in the middle of the room and just stood there at a loss as to what to do next. This wasn’t where she wanted to be, but it was a little late for that now. She decided to take a shower to pass the remaining time before this godforsaken dinner. Making her way to the bathroom, she mentally did a checklist of what she had left here. Makeup was going to be light as most everything had been moved. She’d find a dress or something to throw on from the few remaining items left in her closet here. 

Her last thought as she stepped under the hot spray was that her original plans for dinner at home with her cowboy would have been a much more pleasant way to spend her evening.


End file.
